April 28th, New Zealand Day 13

These photos I took on the thirteenth day I was in New Zealand, which was also the last day of the tour.

This is the rolling countryside around Waitomo and it should look familiar as the site of Hobbiton in "The Lord of the Rings" is located in the nearby town of Matamata. Although I have never been, this landscape made me think of Ireland, perhaps because parts of that island are also underlain by limestone, as this area is. 

These are some interesting limestone formations by Waitomo. 

This is a valley near Waitomo where I went riding. 

This is a shot of me on the horse I took riding through the Waitomo countryside. 

Another shot of me on the horse. 

Upon driving out of Waitomo, this particular motel was pointed out to us. This wing, if you can call it that (pun intended), is an old airplane that was converted into sleeping quarters for guests. 

Beside the airplane motel, there is this replica of Hobbiton where you can also spend the night, but it is not the original set. 

This interesting looking building is a coal power plant in New Zealand, perhaps its only one. 

Upon driving into Auckland, I managed this photo of 1 Tree Hill, of U2 fame. It is the hill with the spiked object atop it. 

This is the Skytower, New Zealand's tallest edifice, located in Auckland's Central Business District. It does look very similar to the CN Tower in Toronto, but it is shorter. 

This building by the port was once the Customs House for Auckland, I believe. 

This old building in the city is the public transportation hub of Auckland. I seem to recall a sign that said that it had been recently renovated. 

This is a shot of the top of the Skytower through some of the buildings in downtown Auckland. 

This, with the next photo, shows the Skytower at night. 

See with previous photo. 

This is most of the group that I traveled with through New Zealand. This shot was taken at the Base Backpackers bar in Auckland.